Plea for vehicle use on Keymer Bridge

A Burgess Hill man is calling for a replacement footbridge to take cars as well as pedestrians – in a bid to ease traffic.

Keymer Junction Bridge, in Burgess Hill, crosses the Brighton to London railway line to the south of Wivelsfield station.

But the footbridge, owned by Network Rail has fallen into a state of disrepair and will be replaced by West Sussex County Council with a widened footpath for pedestrians.

However Michael Mundy, of Homestead Lane, Burgess Hill has objected to the plans, saying ‘no thought’ has been given to east to west crossings for vehicles.

Mr Mundy said: “Until around 1972 the existing bridge was available to cars (I used to use it myself).

“The opportunity should be taken to construct a new road bridge to replace Bumpy Bridge, maybe with a vehicle limit of 7.5 tonnes.

“Should the opportunity not be taken now, it will be lost forever.”

A spokesman for Burgess Hill Town Council said it welcomed the plans but ‘regretted that an opportunity had been missed to make the footbridge wide enough to take a minibus’.

Writing on behalf of St Andrew’s Church Parochial Church Council, David Wickens said the bridge replacement is ‘essential’ to avoid isolating the parish from the church.

He added: “Some people might suggest that any new bridge should provide for vehicular traffic as Burgess Hill suffers from too few crossings of the railway. I do not think this practicable as St Wilfrids Road and junctions with Mill Road and Junction Road would not be suitable for the growth in traffic that would occur.”